Metamorphosis Ligeti

by Quatuor Diotima

Overview

The Metamorphosis Ligeti referred to in the title of this PentaTone Classics release could refer to the subtitle of Ligeti's String Quartet No. 1 ("Metamorphoses nocturnes"). It could also suggest how much Ligeti's style changed in the 15 years between the String Quartet No. 1 and String Quartet No. 2; the first quartet was begun in 1953 and still, with its Hungarian folk influences, still fit barely within the dictates of Hungarian socialist realism, while the second is an extreme modernist work. However, the two works are not so far apart as a casual listen might indicate, and the edgy performances of the Quatuor Diotima emphasize the continuity. The String Quartet No. 1 consists of a dozen short movements, as brief as 55 seconds, that, in their economy, suggest that something other than semi-traditional melodic material is happening here, and the Quatuor Diotima gives sharp, clipped performances that bring out the modernity of the work. The quartet is sometimes called "Bartok's seventh quartet," but the Quatuor Diotima stresses the departures from Bartok. The same is true even in the Andante and Allegretto for string quartet of 1950, a more folk-oriented work. The String Quartet No. 1 has its quota of technical challenges, but it is simple compared with the Second Quartet, a work that requires hair-trigger concentration from the players and the ability to make extremely quiet sounds at the top of the instruments' registers. The Quatuor Diotima's performance in the various insectlike sounds in the work is nonpareil. A truly excellent Ligeti recording that penetrates deeply into the composer's essence. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	03/03/2023
Label:	Pentatone Classics
UPC:	8717306260619
Rank:	67114

Tracks

1. String Quartet No. 1, "M¿¿tamorphoses nocturnes"~Allegro grazioso
2. String Quartet No. 1, "M¿¿tamorphoses nocturnes"~Vivace, capriccioso
3. String Quartet No. 1, "M¿¿tamorphoses nocturnes"~Adagio, mesto
4. String Quartet No. 1, "M¿¿tamorphoses nocturnes"~Presto
5. String Quartet No. 1, "M¿¿tamorphoses nocturnes"~Prestissimo
6. String Quartet No. 1, "M¿¿tamorphoses nocturnes"~Andante tranquillo
7. String Quartet No. 1, "Métamorphoses nocturnes"~Tempo di Valse, moderato, con eleganza, un poco capriccioso
8. String Quartet No. 1, "M¿¿tamorphoses nocturnes"~Subito prestissimo
9. String Quartet No. 1, "M¿¿tamorphoses nocturnes"~Allegretto, un poco giovale
10. String Quartet No. 1, "M¿¿tamorphoses nocturnes"~Poco pi¿¿ mosso
11. String Quartet No. 1, "M¿¿tamorphoses nocturnes"~Prestissimo
12. String Quartet No. 1, "M¿¿tamorphoses nocturnes"~Ad libitum, senza misura
13. Andante and Allegretto for String Quartet~Andante cantabile
14. Andante and Allegretto for String Quartet~Allegretto poco capriccioso
15. String Quartet No. 2~Allegro nervoso
16. String Quartet No. 2~Sostenuto, molto calmo
17. String Quartet No. 2~Come un meccanismo di precisione
18. String Quartet No. 2~Presto furioso, brutale, tumultuoso
19. String Quartet No. 2~Allegro con delicatezza

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Quatuor Diotima   Primary Artist,String Quartet

Technical Credits

Francesca Mariani   Product Manager,Design
Ralph Benoit   Cover Photo
Kasper van Kooten   Design,Product Manager
Gyoergy Ligeti   Composer
Philippe Albera   Liner Notes
Sean Hickey   Managing Director
Stephan Schmidt   Recording Producer
Christian Legay   Photography
Pierre Morlet   Executive Producer
Quatuor Diotima   Liner Notes
Yun-Peng Zhao   Executive Producer
Lucia Ghielmi   Cover Design
Franck Chevalier   Executive Producer
Renaud Loranger   A&R,Executive Producer
Silvia Pietrosanti   Marketing
Leo Marillier   Executive Producer
Calvin B. Cooper   Liner Note Translation